


Stranger Danger (Or Not)

by arohawe



Category: ASTRO (Band)
Genre: M/M, first fic, im binu trash to say the least and this just popped into my head so i hope you enjoy, sanha is there every now and then, there may be editing/grammar mistakes but thats expected, what is writing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-12
Updated: 2017-01-12
Packaged: 2018-09-15 14:34:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9239198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arohawe/pseuds/arohawe
Summary: It's really hard to ignore a stranger, especially when they invade your hiding space.





	

 Lee Dongmin loved the library.

He loved the smell of fresh ink from newly printed books, the crumbling pages and pungent aroma of aging novels, and even the rickety, old tables and arm chairs that hadn’t been replaced in years. He loved seeing the librarian, too. She was always pleased to see him as well; he brought her homemade treats to make up for all the times that he fell asleep there and didn’t wake up until the next day. If he had free time, he’d come help her re-shelve books or file book cards. To her, he was an angel sent to assure her that she chose the right field to work in. He cherished many things about the library, but the best thing -- in Dongmin’s opinion -- was his spot.

His spot happened to be the far table in the very back of the library. It was a rather small space, shielded from the rest of the room by a couple of tall, rickety bookcases. This was the corner where the “well-loved” books went when they received “too much love.” It was a little worn down, but that didn’t bother Dongmin. He thought it made the place cozier, more like home.

No one else knew about his secret spot, and he didn't mind if it stayed that way. Besides the bathroom, which he hardly can consider “alone-time,” this spot was his only relief from his slightly overwhelming roommate.

Yoon Sanha wasn’t his _real_ roommate, but he might as well be. Dongmin met him a few weeks into the semester, when Sanha locked himself out of the dormitory without his student ID. Dongmin let him in, and Sanha has followed him around like a lost puppy ever since. Dongmin couldn’t complain, though. The boy was too cute to refuse, and was good company to have when the dorms were too quiet. Sometimes he could be a little noisy, but Dongmin didn’t mind unless he got too out of control. Tonight was one of those nights.

Dongmin was attempting to study for an exam he had the next day, and Sanha needed to practice a piece he was composing for one of his classes. Dongmin usually wasn’t bothered by his guitar-playing; it was soothing and a nice alternative to blaring music from a speaker. Tonight, however, the music was distracting him. He tried to endure it, but soon decided he’d probably accomplish more in a quieter space.

After telling Sanha where he was headed, he gathered his things and made his way to the library. The trip there was peaceful; not many students were wandering around campus at this hour, and it was deathly quiet. Upon arriving, not many people were at the library either. Dongmin figured it was due to the time; he left the dorms to come here around 11 o’clock.

He greeted the librarian before heading to his corner of the library. As he walked, he couldn’t help but think of Sanha. Maybe one day he should show it to him. Sanha was his best friend at university, after all. Besides, keeping secrets from Sanha was comparable to hiding treats from a hyperactive puppy: they don’t stay hidden for long.

He approached his secret spot and sat down. As he pulled his books from his bag, he spotted something unusual: a note.

Dongmin glanced around. No one around him was paying attention to him. They didn’t seem to know he was even there. He turned his attention back to the message. A single word was written on a bright yellow sticky note.

_Hi. - MB_

Dongmin furrowed his eyebrows. Who would leave him a note? The only person he could think of was the librarian, and this was definitely not from her. Someone else must have seen him here before. It wasn’t all that unlikely, he thought. Anyone, if they looked hard enough, could find this corner and Dongmin was certain he wasn't the first.

Dongmin shook his head. Maybe the note wasn’t meant for him. Or, if it was, maybe the person is a stalker. He decided there was no need for him to respond. After all, he didn’t know them. They’d probably lose interest if they returned and didn’t receive a response.

With that, Dongmin stuck the note in his bag and went to work. That test wasn’t going to ace itself.

\-----

Dongmin was wrong. So unbelievably wrong.

A few days after the first note was left, Dongmin was heading to the library to work on a project. As he entered, he stopped to grab a few history books before heading to the hidden desk in the corner. He had completely forgotten about the note from before, so when he arrived to see not just one, but _two_ sticky notes, he had a mini panic attack.

Maybe Dongmin had attracted a stalker. Maybe this person was trying to lure him to his death. Dongmin shivered, securing his bag on his shoulders before grabbing the new messages and reading them.

_Are you ignoring me? - MB_

_I just want to chat. - MB_

Great. The random stranger with a peculiar interest in Dongmin simply wanted to chat. Nothing suspicious about that.

Dongmin wasn’t quite sure what to do, and that scared him. He knew he should just ignore the notes. Dongmin had no idea who this person was, and he wasn’t too keen on conversing with someone he couldn’t see. On the other hand, what if they didn’t leave him alone? If they kept leaving notes, how long could he ignore them until this person decided they wanted to chat face-to-face? Dongmin was more afraid to meet the mystery person than he was to make idle chit chat via sticky note, so he quickly scribbled a response.

_Why? You don’t even know me. - LD_

He stuck the note onto the table and left the library. He was too jittery to focus on his homework, the only thing on his mind was the mystery person trying to befriend (or possibly murder) him. He sped back to his dorm room to find Sanha laying flat on the floor, staring up at the ceiling. As soon as Dongmin closed the door, though, Sanha shot up and flashed him a smile.

“Dongmin hyung! You’re back!” Sanha shouted, getting up to tug on Dongmin’s arm. “Hang out with me hyung~~~ Please? It’s boring without you here.” Sanha was, of course, acting cute to get his way, but today it just wasn’t working. Dongmin had other things on his mind.

Sanha, sensing that something was up, stopped his charms and shot Dongmin a confused look.

“Hyung? What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Huh?” Dongmin broke from his trance and met Sanha’s gaze. “Oh, it’s nothing. I just, uh, left something in the library I’ll be right back.” He turned around and left the dorm, ignoring the pleas of his -- now suspicious -- roommate. He had been thinking on his way to the dorm that responding to the stranger was a bad idea, and now he was regretting it more than ever. He figured that maybe, just maybe, if he hurried, he could quickly retrieve his note and pretend nothing had ever happened.

Not much time had passed between now and his last visit, but when he entered the library and went straight to the corner to rip up his sticky note, he found a new one in its place.

His breath caught in his throat. He wasn’t expecting a response _that_ fast. Now that the stranger knew Dongmin had noticed him, he wasn’t going to let him go that easily. Dongmin groaned, picking up the note with shaky hands.

_That’s why I want to chat. I want to get to know you. So.. what’s your favorite book? - MB_

\-----

Dongmin had been rereading the same passage in his astronomy textbook for the last half hour. He had an assignment due tomorrow, and it was already getting late, but he couldn’t stop thinking about the stranger he befriended.

Previously, Dongmin had planned to only leave short responses to the stranger who had been adamant on talking to him. That plan failed in the first week.

A month had passed, and what began as meager conversations about school and their favorite colors turned into deep conversations about their personal lives. Dongmin revealed more to this stranger in a month than he had to Sanha, his supposed best friend whom he shared a room with. He hated to admit it, but he was growing attached to the stranger, if he could even call him that.

 

Yes, _him._ Dongmin discovered that the messenger was a boy, only a year younger than him. He was a dance major, and lived in a worn-down apartment with two of his friends. He also loved eating, reading novels, and was nicknamed “puppy-cat.” Dongmin laughed at that; what would warrant the nickname “puppy-cat” anyway?

Dongmin knew he was in a dangerous situation, but he couldn’t deny his attraction to the boy. Without even seeing his face, Dongmin was falling hard, and the last sticky note conversation didn't help.

_I’m really glad I discovered this corner… If I hadn’t, I never would have met you. - MB_

_I’m glad you enjoy my company. Though, you did kind of take over my secret hiding spot.. - LD_

_Oh, I did? Well, maybe we should meet up and form our own space? Unless you don’t mind sharing with me.. - MB_

_I don’t mind… but I also wouldn’t mind seeing you in person. :) - LD_

Dongmin groaned at the thought of it. Why did he leave a smiley face? He was making the situation worse for himself by making such a puny attempt at flirting with the boy. (Really, after a few weeks of such flirtation, he could do so much better than a smiley face.) For all he knew, the boy really _was_ dangerous, and Dongmin was walking straight into his death. He let his head fall onto his book with a thud, causing Sanha to give him a sideways glance from where he sat on the floor.

“Hyung, what’s going on? You’re acting weird.” Sanha was far too curious for his own good.

“Nothing, I’m just tired. Class really has me-”

“You’re a terrible liar.” Sanha was staring him down, not at all convinced by Dongmin’s excuse. “What’s _really_ going on?” Dongmin sighed. He knew Sanha would grow suspicious of him eventually; he’d been distant ever since the first note, and was spending way more time at the library than usual.

He leaned over his bag and pulled out the stack of sticky notes he kept, throwing them towards Sanha and dropping his face back onto his desk. There was no point in hiding it anymore.

Sanha hesitantly took the notes, quickly reading through them before giving Dongmin a surprised look.

“Wow, hyung, who knew you were such a _flirt._ ” Dongmin raised his head and glared at his friend, grabbing the nearest item -- one that wouldn’t injure him of course -- and chucking it at him.

“Shut up.” Sanha dodged the item and giggled, and Dongmin felt heat rise to his cheeks. Of course, he had saved copies of the messages _he_ left for the boy so he could reread their conversations. He hadn’t thought about the fact that he had been openly flirting with the boy before handing them over to his roommate, who now stared at him with a smirk while Dongmin’s face flushed. Why didn’t he see this coming? “What do I do?”

“Ask him out, duh.” Dongmin’s jaw dropped. Him? Ask out a total stranger? No. Way.

“No. I don’t even know him!”

“Please, you two have gotten pretty friendly already.” Dongmin scowled at Sanha, ready to throw another object. “Okay, okay, I’ll stop! But seriously, it wouldn’t hurt to try. I can tell you really like him.”

Dongmin stared long and hard at Sanha; for someone who could barely _talk_ to a potential partner without stuttering, he sure was bold.

“I don’t know, maybe…” Dongmin trailed off. He had already tried denying his attraction to the boy. Maybe it was time he accepted it and confronted his feelings? After all, with how far it's already gone, Dongmin wasn't sure how much longer he could hide behind a piece of paper.

\-----

After his chat with Sanha, Dongmin was only a little ashamed of himself when he nearly sprinted to the library the next day, eager for a message from the boy. He couldn’t stop thinking about how fast this progressed, and how little he still knew about the boy. They didn’t even know each other's’ real names, for heaven's sake, and he was wanting to go on a _date._ He was positive that he’d lost his mind over the past few weeks.

For the first time in a while, he ignored the librarian and went straight to his corner. He heard her call after him, but he was too focused on calming the butterflies in his stomach to stop and chat with her.

He reached the table in record time, almost tripping and falling face-first onto the floor several times. That wasn’t important to him at the moment, though, because the first thing he did when he arrived was snatch up the newest sticky note. The boy had indeed left him a message -- one that made Dongmin’s heart skip a beat and his breathing stop.

_A coffee shop just opened down the street. Meet me there, 4 o’clock. - MB_

Dongmin’s stomach did a flip. He searched frantically for his phone, unlocking it at once and seeing that the clock currently read 3:46. If he left now, he’d be able to get there right at 4.

He swallowed the lump in his throat. Was he seriously doing this? What if it was a set up? What if this mystery person was just playing with his heart for laughs? Dongmin didn’t want to consider the possibility. He was about to head back to the dorms, maybe cry into his pillow a little, when he remembered what Sanha told him.

_It wouldn't hurt to try. I can tell you really like him._

Dongmin groaned. If this was a trick, he’d blame Sanha.

\-----

It took everything in Dongmin to keep him from backing out of this. He stood at the door to the coffee shop, the clock reading 4:02, and his hands were anxiously ironing out the nonexistent wrinkles in his blazer. He took a deep breath, giving himself a slight pep talk before pushing the door open.

He approached the counter, ordering himself a drink and stood aside to wait, taking this opportunity to scan the faces in the cafe.

One older man sat next to the door, sending him a curious stare as his eyes swept the room. Two middle-aged women sat near the window, eyeing him suspiciously while they sipped their drinks. Several students he recognized from his university milled around, chatting loudly and laughing with each other everywhere, but none of them looked his way. It wasn’t until he spotted another boy, who looked to be his age, sitting at a table for two in the very back of the cafe. Dongmin stopped his search and stared at the boy from afar. _It had to be him._

Dongmin took a deep breath and slowly began his journey towards the boy’s table. He forced the butterflies in his stomach to flutter just a little less, trying to still his shaking hands. As he approached and got a better look at the boy, he froze in his tracks.

He was beautiful.

The boy sat at the table, absentmindedly twirling a stirring straw between his fingers. Dongmin couldn’t quite describe the look on the boy’s face, but immediately related it to that of a cat. Cold, almost disinterested, but intriguing. The nickname was beginning to make sense.

The boy suddenly looked up, meeting Dongmin’s eyes, and Dongmin swears he was in love. The once cold expression turned warm in a heartbeat as the boy smiled wide, seeming to know who he was in an instant. The smile revealed beautifully white teeth, stretching from ear to ear and transforming his eyes into crescents.  Dongmin felt like he was staring at an angel.

Dongmin felt like he had stared for too long and hurried to sit down across from the boy. He coughed awkwardly, averting his eyes and taking a long sip of his drink. As soon as he looked back, though, he was once again caught up in the boy’s radiant smile and warm, welcoming eyes. He was so absorbed in the boy’s face that he failed to realize he had started talking.

“What?” Dongmin asked, suddenly realizing he was staring yet again. The boy chuckled, and Dongmin’s heart fluttered.

“I was wondering, now that we finally met, if I could actually know your name? ‘LD’ seems a little impersonal.” Dongmin laughed and nodded in agreement.

“Oh, right. Uh, I’m Dongmin. Lee Dongmin.” The boy sent him another dazzling smile, and Dongmin felt his cheeks heat up.

“Moon Bin.” Even his _name_ was beautiful. _How could someone be this perfect?_ Dongmin thought.

“I’m flattered you think that, but shouldn’t I be saying that to you?” Dongmin’s cheeks flared for what felt like the millionth time since he sat down. He couldn’t believe he just said that _out loud_ . Not only had he just called Moon Bin perfect literally five minutes after he met him, but Moon Bin called _him_ perfect too. Dongmin felt like he was floating on a cloud.

Moon Bin coughed to get Dongmin’s attention and took a drink from his cup. After setting it back down, he rested his head on his hands and leaned forward.

“So...” Moon Bin began, striking up a conversation as if nothing about their situation had changed. Dongmin immediately relaxed. He was definitely looking forward to doing this more often.

\-----

As soon as he unlocked the door to his dorm, Sanha was all over him asking about Moon Bin.

“Did you ask him out? Are you guys dating? Is he cute?” Dongmin kept smiling and ignored his questions, unfolding a napkin he was holding in his hand and giving it to Sanha before plopping down on his bed.

“Hyung, is this his phone number?” Sanha screamed, running over to Dongmin and tugging on his arm. “Have you texted him yet? You should text him!” Dongmin continued to ignore Sanha’s remarks, opting to stare up at the ceiling with a smile plastered on his face.

Dongmin had a new reason to love the library, and it had absolutely nothing to do with books.  

**Author's Note:**

> so this is like the first time ive written fanfiction in probably four years. maybe even more than that. it also took my like an hour to decide to post this bc i was so nervous.
> 
> i always think about messing up the characterization, especially with real people, so i was very hesitant to post this but it won't do any good just sitting in a folder so ta da! hope you enjoy this first-time work by a literal piece of trash! i have a tumblr by the name of [arohawe](http://arohawe.tumblr.com/) so if you want to find me that's where i am as well.
> 
> if you read this far, thank you so much for reading and i really really hope you enjoyed <3 i am trying to make time in my schedule to write more and improve, so i hopefully i will be more active on here. thank you again! <3<3<3


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